New virus cases still rising 1 day before mass vaccine rollout

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell slightly below 400 on Thursday, a day ahead of the country's first rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, as sporadic cluster infections continued to pop up across the country. The country reported 396 more virus cases, including 369 local infections, raising the total caseload to 88,516, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Thursday's daily caseload marks a slight drop from 440 tallied the previous day. The figures hovered

Feb. 25, 2021

S. Korea prepares for vaccine shots as 1st batch of 1.5m doses begins to ship

Trucks packed with the first of some 1.5 million doses of coronavirus vaccines were distributed across South Korea on Thursday as long-term care hospitals and public health centers rushed to prepare for the country's ambitious vaccination program. The nationwide distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine for some 750,000 people, mostly health care workers and patients at nursing homes, came as the country is set to kick off the free inoculation campaign Friday. On the first day of the five-day lo

Feb. 25, 2021

Bus passengers get prison terms for assaulting drivers over face mask use

A man has been sentenced to six months in prison for reacting violently to a bus driver demanding the wearing of face masks on board to prevent coronavirus infections, judicial sources said Thursday. The Seoul Central District Court handed out the prison term to the man, aged 57, saying he committed the crime of obstructing the bus driver on duty during a probationary period related to a separate crime, the sources said. The man was recently indicted for cursing at the 39-year-old driver, who

Feb. 25, 2021

High hopes, stark reminders as Korea finally gets vaccines

Come Friday, South Korea will be joining about 98 countries and territories that have started vaccinating against COVID-19. To date more than 212 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, according to University of Oxford-run Our World in Data. Like most other countries, Korea’s early vaccination efforts are focused on priority groups of people in their 60s or older and front-line health care workers. The initial batches consist of 1.5 million doses of AstraZ

Feb. 24, 2021

Court temporarily halts 6-month suspension of cable channel MBN

A Seoul court has granted an injunction to temporarily lift the suspension order given to MBN, a local cable TV channel last year over accounting fraud, judicial sources said Wednesday. According to the sources, the Seoul Administrative Court has recently ruled in favor of MBN, halting a six-month suspension order issued by the country's telecommunications regulator. In October, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) ordered the broadcaster to suspend its service after concluding that MBN m

Feb. 24, 2021

Labor Ministry vows to strengthen role in preventing industrial accidents

The government will prepare guidelines and a protective network for industrial accidents to strengthen its role as an overseer and administrator over malpractice, as the country continues to report deaths from workers on duty, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Wednesday. In a press briefing, Labor Minister Lee Jae-kap said the ministry is preparing to work with industries and corporations to create detailed guidelines that fall well within the realities of those obliged to follow. &ldq

Feb. 24, 2021

[Newsmaker] Controversy brews over sex dolls in Korea

The controversy over sex dolls in Korea continues, with lawmakers seeking to impose regulations while civic groups call for a ban despite the court ruling to allow importing them. The Seoul Administrative Court on Tuesday, announced a ruling in favor of a local importer that had sued a Gimpo Airport customs official over the suspension of the import customs clearance of sex dolls. During the trial, the importer said, “Although the sex doll is a masturbation device for men with a shape

Feb. 24, 2021

Star football player accused of sexually, physically assaulting teammates in elementary school

A former South Korean national football team player is facing accusations of sexually and physically assaulting teammates while in elementary school more than 20 years ago. Park Ji-hun, attorney for the Seoul-based firm Hyun Law, put out a press release on Wednesday detailing allegations put forward by two clients. Both of them are one year younger than the accused player, who, according to Park, is "a star player who recently joined a club in the greater Seoul area." The players att

Feb. 24, 2021

More schoolchildren want to be doctors amid COVID: poll

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors beat teachers in an annual survey of elementary schoolchildren on what they want to become when they grow up. In an online poll conducted for three months through Oct. 15 last year by the government, 7.6 percent of first through sixth graders said they want to be medical doctors, making it the second most popular career after professional athletes. Content creators such as Youtubers and professional gamers were also among the top five careers chosen by the

Feb. 24, 2021

Population mobility declines in Jan. amid fall in housing transactions

The number of South Koreans who moved to different parts of the country declined in January amid a decrease in housing transactions, data showed Wednesday. The number of people who changed their residences fell 2.2 percent on-year to 633,000 in January, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The tally declined last month after rising for the seventh straight month in December 2020 amid skyrocketing home prices. The population mobility rate -- the number of those relocating per 10

Feb. 24, 2021

S. Korea suffers 1st population decline last year on record low births

The number of South Koreans who moved to different parts of the country declined in January amid a decrease in housing transactions, data showed Wednesday. The number of people who changed their residences fell 2.2 percent on-year to 633,000 in January, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The tally declined last month after rising for the seventh straight month in December 2020 amid skyrocketing home prices. The population mobility rate -- the number of those relocating per 10

Feb. 24, 2021

Joint Chiefs of Staff officer tests positive for new coronavirus

A military officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. It is the second COVID-19 case among JCS members so far, after a civilian employee was confirmed to have been infected last week. He undertook a virus test to exit quarantine, as he has been in isolation since Feb. 10 at his residence in Seoul after one of his family members tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. "We are taking necessary measur

Feb. 24, 2021

S. Korea investigating new suspected bird flu case, total now at 101

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it is investigating yet another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu traced to poultry farms, with the total caseload reaching 101. The latest suspected case of the malign H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from an egg farm in Wonju, 132 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. South Korea confirmed its 101st case of seriously contagious bird flu from another egg farm in Icheon, sout

Feb. 24, 2021

New virus cases rebound to over 400 ahead of 1st rollout of vaccine this week

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 400 on Wednesday on continued cluster infections across the country ahead of the country's COVID-19 vaccine rollout this week. The country reported 440 more virus cases, including 417 local infections, raising the total caseload to 88,120, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's daily caseload is a sharp rise from 357 cases amid unrelenting group infections. The figures hovered above 600 las

Feb. 24, 2021

Korea says Pfizer vaccine safe, effective for anyone 16 or above

South Korean regulatory authorities said Tuesday that Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine was safe and effective across all age groups, including adults aged 65 or above and children as young as 16. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s director general for biopharmaceuticals Kim Sang-bong told a news briefing the preliminary review has found the vaccine to be 95 percent effective overall, and nearly equally effective for older and frail people. Kim said so far the ministry sees t

Feb. 23, 2021

Politicians bicker over COVID-19 vaccines ahead of rollout

Politics are creeping into vaccine discussions in Korea with the country’s first jabs to be rolled out in just a few days, and scientists say they are wary of the non-experts in high offices playing politics with public health. In a Facebook statement posted Friday, Yoo Seung-min, a onetime presidential contender of a minor conservative party, suggested that President Moon Jae-in take the AstraZeneca vaccine to boost public confidence. “The dearth of data on the AstraZeneca vacc

Feb. 23, 2021

COVID-19 makes S. Koreans less happy, economically more insecure: survey

South Koreans felt less happy last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, with women, young adults, the elderly and low-income citizens affected the most, a state-run think tank's survey showed Tuesday. According to an annual survey on 8,336 adults by the Korea Institute of Public Administration (KIPA) from September to October of last year, people rated their happiness at an average of 6.4 points on a 10-point scale, down 0.1 point from the previous year. In particular, the percentage of those

Feb. 23, 2021

Seoul city vows strict response to illegal rallies on March 1

The Seoul city government vowed Tuesday to respond strictly to all illegal rallies held in downtown squares on March 1 Independence Movement Day. Conservative groups have again announced plans to stage rallies denouncing President Moon Jae-in, a liberal, at Gwanghwamun Square in the city center on the national holiday. Last year, the activists drew flak for holding a mass rally on Aug. 15 Liberation Day, which set off the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. "We are in

Feb. 23, 2021

[Newsmaker] Claims of past school violence sweep sports, showbiz

Celebrities and athletes are facing public outrage, following a string of accusations of past bullying. Following the bullying scandal that damaged the careers of four professional volleyball players this month, another volleyball player Park Sang-ha retired on Monday after admitting to allegations of school violence. Over the weekend, another allegation was raised that Hanwha Eagles baseball player Yoo Jang-hyuk assaulted and bullied a school mate during elementary school. The revelations ar

Feb. 23, 2021

First taxi service for those with COVID-19 symptoms launches in Busan

The first taxi service in South Korea exclusively for those with COVID-19 symptoms kicked off in Busan with the same fare system but will only run to and from home and local public health centers. The Busan city government said Tuesday a local taxi company named Tomato Taxi has started a cab service exclusively for those in need of COVID-19 checks with 32 taxi vehicles. The service was introduced following requests from Busan’s civic task force on COVID-19, the city said. The taxis used

Feb. 23, 2021